4. Women who have had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) do not need to undergo cervical cancer screening, unless the surgery was done as a treatment for cervical pre-cancer or cancer.
5. Other Annual Exams Continue — Regardless of the frequency of cervical cancer screening, annual gynecologic examinations, including pelvic exams, are still recommended.
Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Cancer
You have probably heard a lot about the relatively new vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), which we now know is a pre-cursor to cervical cancer. The vaccine called Gardasil protects against certain types of the HPV virus and is manufactured by Merck & Co. Gardasil is designed to prevent infection with HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11. HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70% of HPV-related cervical cancer cases.
Currently, this vaccine is approved for females aged 9 to 26 and several states have proposed legislation requiring school-aged girls to get vaccinated prior to enrolling in classes. This proposed mandated vaccination has been very controversial. If you have an adolescent daughter or you are a young woman aged 18-26, please discuss the Gardasil vaccination with your doctor.